Since I have had some inquiries, here's a quick reminder that "Transmission
sans Frontieres" happens next weekend at Victoria College in Toronto, and
yes, there are still spots open, but you'll have to hurry.
Because we have to confirm our meals we would need your payment very soon. If
you work in radio, and are interested in learning how some of the finest North
American producers are pushing the boundaries of documentary, art, and other
radio forms, this is an opportunity that you will not want to miss. I can say
with confidence that it has been at least a decade - since Radio Rethink, in
Banff, - since a radio event like this has happened in Canada.
If you are passionate about radio, and if you believe that there is more to
radio than just chatter and playing records, you really should make a point
of attending Transmissions sans Frontieres. Take the time now to look over the
workshop schedule, and tell me it isn't exciting. If you're coming from the
US you might want to know a few things. Although your dollar has been dropping,
the exchange rate still favours you very nicely.
If you're travelling from New York or Chicago, Amtrack has some really nice
deals to Toronto. If you don't mind staying in a residence room, Victoria College
can house you for $47 a night ($34 US! Includes breakfast!). You can add extra
days if you want to stay over. And the WHO has declared us once again SARS free!
Sign up today at
http://www.deepwireless.ca/tsf/Schedule /long version
Saturday May 24th 9:00 start Welcome 9:15 The Idea of North/The Idea of Canada
Steve Wadhams, CBC Documentary producer; and Christos Hatzis, composer In 1967,
Glenn Gould composed his landmark composition "The Idea of North"."What
we've tried to do", said Gould in his essay "Radio as Music",
"is to create what I have grown rather fond of calling 'contrapuntal radio'
and tried, rather arbitrarily, to attach it to another medium, where it has
not belonged in the past". In 1992, ten years after Goulds death,
Steve Wadhams, Christos Hatzis and Laurence Stevenson were asked to revisit
the "Idea of North". The resulting composition was "The Idea
of Canada."
Find out what happened when music met documentary on the radio. 10:30 Coffee
break 10:45 am Quick Stop Art Spot Chandra Bulucon Created in 1998, Quick Stop
Art Spot's producer and host Chandra Bulucon gives a history of this 1/2 hour
radio show that started from talk radio and went to performance radio art. The
name delineates fast & spontaneous coverage of local heroes that make art
for radio play.
Here you'll find the sound art of the century: techno groundhogs, subway yoga,
20 minutes of feedback, an interaction with an artist taking blood pressure
of mall patrons with a bicycle pump, and find treats like irregular contests
to win a roll of toilet paper or a subscription to a magazine. Find out how
this show has lasted on quirky critiques and special tidbits of art nonsense
and has been quoted as "the original art noise program."
Excerpts of work from the series Ossicles: little bones and amplification and
performance as intervention where endurance and structured improv was a focus.
12:00 - 1 pm lunch 1:15 short address 1:30 pm
The Ear is a Question Mark Jim Metzner Since the 1970's, Jim Metzner has pursued
a quest, microphone in hand, searching for sounds which enlighten, inform and
celebrate life, sounds which carry a special quality that no other medium can
convey. He has produced records and multimedia productions (including features
for National Geographic Online), but most of his work has been shared through
radio. With examples from short format series such as "You're Hearing America,
The Sounds of Science" and "Pulse of the Planet" and longer format
series produced for National Public Radio and Public Radio International, Jim
will demonstrate how he continues to explore the soundscape through the medium
of radio. 3:00 Coffee Break 3:30 Pushing Boundaries in Radio Julie Shapiro,Third
Coast International Audio Festival;
Barb Woolner, former Program Director at Trent Radio; Anna Friz, sound artist
and curator In the tightly controlled world of of radio, it is a challenge to
break beyond traditional formats and present works with provide a different
kind of listening experience. Three radio producers will talk about how theyre
creating space for adventurous radio. 5:00 closing Sunday May 25th 9:00 welcome
9:15 am The Medium is the Media Anna Friz This session considers radio as both
the subject of and the medium for artistic interventions and collaborations.
Anna Friz presents two examples of self-reflexive radio play: Radiotopia (Ars
Electronica 2002), a temporary audio-based international telecommunications
art project; and The Clandestine Transmissions of Pirate Jenny, an independent
radio art project constructed from detuned radio signals. 10:30 Coffee Break
10:45 am Unlocking the Transmitter Victoria Fenner, sound artist;
Garvia Bailey, CBC "Outfront" How can we expand the range of programming
on radio if only a small number of people have access to the airwaves? This
session will focus on strategies to create radio spaces which encourage creative
expression and makes room for authentic voices of all sizes, shapes and colours.
noon - 1 pm Lunch 1:15 short address 1:30 Deep Wireless This spring, the CBC
Radio 1 program "Outfront," New Adventures in Sound Art and Charles
Street Video, collaborated on a unique residency. Four artists were chosen to
produce radiophonic artworks for broadcast on Outfront, and in performance as
part of the Deep Wireless Festival. During this session, the participating artists
will play excerpts from their artworks and talk about what they discovered about
creating works that will work on the radio and in live performance. Commissioned
artists are Kathy Kennedy, Dan Hart, Mark Brownell, and Reena Katz. 3:00 coffee
break 3:30 Chantal Dumas - Sound and radio artist Chantal Dumas explores new
forms of narration through sound. As an independent artist, she has created
and produced more than 25 pieces since 1993. Her stories are performed in festivals
and broadcast by national radio in Canada, Europe and Australia. Her live projects
incorporate dance, sound installation and theater. Her radio works are published
on Ohm/Avatar, Nonsequitur and 326music. 5:00 closing Your registration also
includes two performances at the Rivoli, on Toronto's perennially cool Queen
Street.
RADIO-A-MOCK 1 & 2 May 23 & 24, 2003, 8 & 10:30 PM The Rivoli, 334
Queen Street West Tickets:$15 each night Advance tickets call 416-910-7231 or
naisa@soundtravels.ca Each evening is a different double bill of live and recorded
experimental sound and radio art performances that create the world of radio
on stage. Radio-a-mock is a performed radio show with radio
hosts Kristiana Clemens on May 23rd and Chandra Bulucon on May 24th that includes
experimental sound works by Gregory Whitehead and Jim Metzner, four world premières
by playwright Mark Brownell, radio documentarian Dan Hart, sound artist Kathy
Kennedy, and violinist/audio artist Reena Katz (commissioned for Deep Wireless
by CBC Radios "Out Front" with residencies at Charles Street
Video), live interviews with the artists and composers, alongside Radio Art
versions of the news by Gregg Williard, the weather by Dan Lander, mystery drama
by John Oswald, "Hockey Night in Opera" by Egils Bebris, and "War
Time Comes and Goes" by Steve Wadhams.
The second part of the double bill includes late night performances by sound
artists Susanna Hood and Zev Asher on May 23rd, and by composer Matt Rogalsky
and DJ-Artist Jeremy Mimnagh on May 24th. Radio-a-Mock is a mock radio show
about a world gone amok. A Happy Hour between the early and late night performances
is sponsored by the Canadian Music Centre and will include a free drink to all
in attendance as well as CD give-a-ways. New Adventures in Sound Art is a non-profit
organization that produces performances and installations spanning the entire
spectrum of electroacoustic and experimental sound art. Included in its Toronto
productions are: Deep Wireless, Sound Travels, Sign Waves and SOUNDplay. For
more info about Deep Wireless go to www.deepwireless.ca or e-mail naisa@soundtravels.ca
"Transmissions sans Frontières" May 24-25, 2003 10-5 PM Victoria
College Building 91 Charles St. West, Toronto Registration $65/$130 "Transmissions
sans Frontières" is a two-day conference that will explore the boundaries
of radio. It is about transcending boundaries -- boundaries between art
forms, boundaries between public and community broadcasting. It will encourage
us to think of the airspace we all share, and how we can make the airwaves resonate
with new voices and new ways of presenting ideas. Transmissions sans Frontières
is sponsored by the Canadian Society for Independent Radio Production with funding
from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Presenters include: Steve Wadhams, Christos Hatzis, Garvia Bailey, Victoria
Fenner, Anna Friz, Julie Shapiro, Chandra Bulucon, Dan Hart, Reena Katz, Mark
Brownell, Kathy Kennedy, Jim Metzner and Barb Woolner. For registration info
go to http://www.deepwireless.ca/tsf TSF is presented by New Adventures in Sound
Art, with sponsorship by the Canadian Society for Independent radio production,
and with funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.